Research released in the Journal of School Health advises on the need for implementing food literacy among children in K-12 schools in America.
“Food literacy, a sub-area of health literacy, is achieving attention in schools, academia, research, health care, businesses, and governments worldwide. Against the current COVID-19 pandemic backdrop, the relevance of food literacy’s interconnected attributes such as nutritional knowledge, food skills, and food environment is gaining traction,” according to researchers.
“We aim to clarify the meaning of food literacy and its relationship to health literacy and other factors influencing eating behavior,” their new paper reads.
The study suggests a conceptual model illustrating connections between relevant theories and constructs in health and nutrition. Researchers hope that health and food literacy increases in the K-12 school environment, which may diminish health inequalities.
“This visual can help guide schools’ multidimensional health and food literacy efforts while considering the realities of the current COVID-19 pandemic context and beyond,” researchers explained.
“This model will provide an overarching reference for schools to consider key constructs to support practice, research, policy, and intervention efforts to advance their health and food literacy agendas.”
